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Linux guru: interface innovation is the challenge

Get over Windows and Mac

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Novell distinguished engineer James Bottomley believes Linux desktop environments need a dose of open source ingenuity rather than ape ideas from Windows and OS X.

Bottomley, who also wears the hat of Director of the Linux Foundation and chair of its technical advisory board, says the next challenge for Linux as a whole is to take the lead in interface advancements. He described his position today in an interview with Brian Proffitt on the Linux Foundation blog.

For Linux as a whole, I think the challenge is to bring open source innovation to the end user computing experience, particularly on the desktop. We have some brilliant desktop technologies, but a lot of them are based on existing Windows or Mac stuff. I think the next releases of GNOME and KDE are pushing us much farther along towards the leading edge here, and I'm interested to see what actually emerges as viable technology for the next generation of user interfaces.

For the Linux kernel itself, Bottomley believes the challenge ahead is maintaining its dominance as the most agile and efficient platform, running on devices from cash registers to supercomputers.

Bottomley is warming up for his role as moderator of the Linux kernel roundtable at LinuxCon in Portland, Oregon, next month, which will include eminent kernel developers such as Linus Torvalds and Jon Corbet. Of course El Reg will be at the event, bringing you all the best bits. ®